Critics get judged in cookoff

Byron Nilsson, the dining critic for Metroland, and I competed against one another in a cookoff as part of the Honest Weight Food Co-Op Local Harvest Festival, held Sunday afternoon at the Washington Park Lakehouse in Albany. We were each given two small racks of lamb and $20 to shop at the co-op. I made cider-glazed lamb and savory oatmeal with apple, onion and jalapeno; Byron’s dish was spice-rubbed lamb with ratatouille and tabouleh (both of our recipes are after the jump).

The judges were Mary Darcy of AllOverAlbany.com, Noah Sheetz of the Chefs Consortium and co-op staffer Tom MacGregor. They gave the nod to my dish, right, for its seasonality and overall balance.

Boil all ingredients except lamb until reduced to a syrupy 1/4 cup. Set aside to cool. Preheat grill pan or broiler, sear lamb, coat with glaze and continue cooking to desired doneness. Brush with more glaze before serving.

In a two-quart saucepan, bring stock to a rolling boil, stir in oatmeal, lower heat to a medium simmer, cover and cook until a little al-dente, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onion, apple and japaleno until soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

When oatmeal is done but still slightly toothsome, drain off excess liquid and return to saucepan. Stir in apple and vegetables, season with salt and pepper as needed, and add a few doses of sriracha to taste.

Nilsson’s recipe is in narrative form:

Grilled lamb chops:

Coat the individual chops with a dry rub of paprika, granulated garlic, cumin, rubbed rosemary (pulse dried leaves in a coffee grinder), salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan to the edge of smoking, and give the chops five to seven minutes per side, covered.

They were presented atop a tabbouleh variant:

Soak bulghur wheat in an equal amount of boiling water. Dice some onion. Dice a tomato. Chop a bunch of parsley and mint. Once the bulghur has absorbed all of its water, combine it with everything else. Add equal parts of lemon juice and cider vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Alongside was ratatouille:

Peel an eggplant and cut it into pinky-sized pieces. Salt it generously and set aside. Cut an equal amount of green and/or yellow squash into similar-sized pieces. Dice half an onion and three cloves of garlic and start them sauteeing in olive oil. Chopped green peppers go in here, too, but I forgot them. Ideally, cook the squash separately. Due to a burner shortage, I waited for the onions to get translucent and threw the squash in with them. The eggplant can use up to half an hour to release its bitter juices; rinse it and sautee the pieces in olive oil. Chop three or four small tomatoes — canned will do, if you’re not under the fresh/local imperative — and add it to the onions mix. Ideally (once again) the ingredients are tossed together, seasoned with salt and pepper (I also added a few capers and fresh thyme) and baked for a while in a casserole, but I finished it on the wee burner.

And then indulge yourself by mashing some Yukon Gold potatoes and whipping them with a little milk and more butter than is good for you.